The embodiment of invention is directed to plurality of mechanical devices and their utility methods for the emergency salvage of a blown out oceanic petroleum oil well, incorporating means of not only sealing oil leak from the well bore in an effective and immediate manner, but also resorting to emergency reparative processes at the distorted well head and beyond, that an optimal structural and functional state of the well is restored, stopping the ‘vicious cycle’ of mere leak from the disrupted well turning to a spewing geyser into the ocean.
There are innumerable petroleum oil wells bored into the oceanic floor by highly evolved modem technological devices to tap the petroleum (gas/crude oil) reservoirs. Many oil wells are clustered in the Gulf of Mexico, Arabian sea and such oceanic grounds, often of significant distance from the coast line, such wells bored into the ocean floor as deep as a mile from the surface waters, to find their way into the underground oil containments spread many miles in area. Oil is collected from the wells into surface tanks in moderate containers, or into receptacles as large as ships.
The boreholes or shafts laboriously made into the oceanic floor to tap the geological oil reservoirs are modem wonder which improved in technology over decades. The drilling of boreholes that form the tunnels of the wells in the ocean ground are accomplished by innumerable varieties of ‘Drilling Rigs’, a drilling rig being defined as—‘an unit of equipment built to penetrate the superficial and the deeper aspects of the earth's crust’. The rigs can be built as small and portable to be moved by a single person, or they can be enormous in size and complexity of functioning so as to house equipment used to: drill oil wells; sample mineral deposits that can impede functional units; identify geological reservoirs; install underground utilities. Large units (rigs) generally configured as more permanent land or marine based structures in remote locations are also facilitated with living quarters for laboring crews involved in well construction, at times hundreds in number.
Hydraulic rotatory drilling originally devised by Anthony Francis Lucas, is utilized in oil well drilling. All bore wells employ inner ‘casing annulus’ during construction of the bore tunnel of the well leading to the underground reservoir. The casing annulus is a hollow sheath which protects the hole against collapsing during drilling, and is made up of metal (steel) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
The bore well has a nested configuration, that is, it narrows down as it courses down into the deeper layers of the earth's crust, and hence the deeper metal/PVC annuli of casings are built to be progressively smaller. The standard casings are usually 40 feet (13 meters) in average length, and available in 14 casing diameter sizes, spanning 7-30 inches in outer diameter.
The drilling and production of oil and gas from the earth's mantle in the ocean floor is shrouded with risk and great hazard to the natural environment that includes both the marine life forms and the terrestrial ecosystem adjacent. The many hazards, to list a few, include ignition of the entrained highly inflammable gases like Methane causing dangerous fires, and the risk of oil spewing and polluting the sea water. Such two man-made calamities at the same time can be uncontrollable with available resources, and utterly devastating to the healthy existence of the earth's planetary life forms. For these reasons, error-proof safety systems in under water bore well digging, and highly trained personnel are required by law in all countries engaged in significant oil production. Despite such stringent laws, system failures and catastrophic results did occur historically (and still occurring), though derived remedial measures through each ‘adverse-event experience’ uniquely different from the other in some form or other, are still nascent and less than perfect.
Recent event in the gulf shores of Mexico involving BP oil company's oil well (Deep Water Horizon) under construction, wherein the ignition of the entrained Methane gas and it's fire that continued unstopped for 36 hours, resulted in collapse of the surface structure of the oil well with an ever increasing gusher from the source. Several different attempts from BP oil company's technical team to contain the spewing geyser from finding it's way into the body of water, and into the gulf shores had failed, mostly due to the inherently limited robotic attempts involved in a moderately deep aquatic habitat.
In the prevailing oceanic climate of the oil wells, after a bore well structure is disrupted, the sea water continuously gets into the oil well, whereas the oil rises to the surface, because of the relative densities of each, that could be contributing to the spewing of oil gush at a later time, while it would be only a spill to start with. There would be churning forces set forth at the land mark area of the disrupted bore well surface, the sea water trying to get in, while the lighter petroleum/crude oil is trying to get out. As the ocean water forcefully fills the underground oil containment space (the hydrostatic pressure at any point in the ocean being proportional to the true vertical depth), the pressure will rise more and more in a very short time, forcing the lesser dense oil to progressively rise into the ocean like an eruption.
Accordingly, it is imperative that immediate action be taken to contain the leak, and stop the sea water pouring into the containment of underground reservoir that will effectively dampen the rising pressure within it's confined space, further reducing the spewing force of the oil gusher—thus breaking the vicious cycle. The calamity in gulf shores happened before the ‘Production Tubing’ and the ‘Production Packer’ were installed, and the wide ‘A’ annular space acted as the tunnel for the oil gusher. As a result the sea water very quickly found it's way through the expansive oil well bore, and the oil in turn rose to the surface with a greater force. It was worse due to the absence of down hole safety valve (DHSV) which is usually placed in the ‘Production Tubing’ (the valve being the last resort to contain the leak from the disrupted well) as far below the surface as deemed safe, to be unaffected by any events leading to wipe out of the surface well head platform.
As any unforeseen adversity can happen at any time before the completion of the well to it's last functional detail, safety measures to weather off such events at any step of the construction have to be in place, before beginning to undertake such operation.
The following embodiments are primarily structured to counteract the events when a ‘fire-blow out’ of the well head platform destroys any of the security devices before the well completion, wherein the timing of the adverse events to be countervailed are similar to that of the BP's Deep Water Horizon Oil Well blow-out i.e. before the production tubing and the production packer' are installed, OR in high production wells not destined to incorporate a production tubing and production packer when the whole annulus space (the ‘A’ annulus) is used as the oil production conduit. Other devices and methods are also included to counter adverse events in other contexts, and additionally, to prevent and alleviate the problems inherent to the prevailing oil production endeavors of the industry either or not so far recognized, nonetheless not so far addressed. The dictum ‘prevention is better than cure’ prevails more than any under any circumstance, especially when such endeavors are impressively simple, and impressively effective.
The inventions herein disclosed are directed to prevent and alleviate many of the problems discussed above though it is neither intended nor implied that the originally planned well structure is restored, but a functional order is definitely emphasized and resulted, however, as stated, manifestly different from the established norm. Such differences are being practiced on a regular basis even in the oil industry (example—some high production wells are structured to operate without any ‘Conduction Tubing’ and ‘Conduction Packer’ usually incorporated within the casing ‘A’ annulus). But the undeniable incentive to accommodate some difference(s) from the practicing standards in an industry where such standards are justifiably warranted is: it's/their ability to weather through a calamity with catastrophic consequences even in situations where norms and standards were followed throughout the well construction, and later during it's maintenance—a classic example that the ‘forces of nature’ are not always necessarily contained by practicing rigorous standards, and what seems like a ‘difference’ may indeed work to contain what proved to be an uncontainable calamity.
Every effort was made to devise and describe the following invention with the best rationale, and with the available information at the time of this writing. However, the Author Inventor is neither legally liable nor personally responsible for any inadvertent errors or omissions, or for any ‘adverse events’ difficult to differentiate either as a mere association or as a consequence of application of the structural and procedural information enumerated. Additionally, many inadvertent and unforeseen consequences were/are inherent to such ventures as the deep sea explorations and the like, shrouded in dangers and never ceasing mystery, and counting always on the tides of nature yet to be conquered by technological sophistication. Accordingly, application of this disclosure in different situations, innumerable and unique, is a personal choice. Furthermore, understanding, analyzing, and adapting swiftly as needed, to diverse situations, still remain as the professional discretion, expertise, and the deemed responsibility of the involved company and it's associates participating in the day to day practice in the implementation of this invention, in part or as a whole.